Manually removable closure



March 9, 1954 Wl SATZ 2,671,572

MANUALLY REMOVABLE CLOSURE Filed June '7, 1949 W/LL/AM SATZ.

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ATnMWEK Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED S TATES 2,671,572

REMOVABLE GLOSHIQE WilliamiSatz, `:Los Angeles-Galli.

Applicationjuneg?, 1949,` ,Serial'No 97,581

1.1Claim. l1

The invention relates to closures for-containers andhas particularreference toaclosure which ts sufficiently tightly so that it is capableof sealing contents in whichl there may be considerable pressure builtup but which is so designed that-the seal can be easily released by handwithoutthe employment of any special instrument.

A great deal of development has been directed in the past-to closures inorder to form a-tght seal Aon jars, cans and Vbottles and particularlywhere thosejars, cans and bottles are made 0f glass. The activity hasbeen directednot only to providing a dependable-air-tight seal capableof insuring against the passage of vairor gas into or out-ofthecontainer but also to the making of a seal or closure suicientlyinexpensive so as not to bereflected to any greatextent in the pricingof ingredients sold in the sealed container. Closures which have beenmost successful have been of the throwfaway type, not being designed forreuse. Invariably, however, closures which have been most widely usedhave not been designed for opening with the hands alone and have neededeither a can opener, bottle opener, or some special instrument forbreaking the seal between the closure and the container.

The necessity for the use of a special instrument `has been mostapparent for uncapping bottles of the sort in which soft drinks, beer,and

carbonated beverages are dispensed. Unless a Y special instrument isavailable, uncapping such containers becomes extremely inconvenient andin the case of carbonated beverages when the contents are unnecessarilyagitated during uncapping in some manner other than by use of aproper-instrument, much of the contents is lost. It is therefore amongthe objects of the invention to `provide a new and improved gas-tightclosure for containers which is relatively inexpensive, which is capableof forming a tight seal suflicient wherenecessary to retain high. gaspressures, which can be used upon containers of presently standardizedsizes and construction about vthe opening, and which, no matter howtightly applied, is capable of being released `by hand-without the useof any instrument.

Also among the objects of the invention is to provide a new Vandimproved closure for containers which is adaptable to use on containersof'various sizes having openings of variable diameter, yone which isyeasily applied, one which is certain in its sealing actionand also onewhich is reusable after having once been removed.

Stillfurther among `the objects of the inventionristo provide anew andimproved Aclosure for containers which, when assembled land v`readyfor'use, is essentially a single unit andV which in use ishygienicfsafewhenused with containers made ofv glass, aswell asproviding a highly elflcientseal which can be broken and released-byhandfaction.

With these and other objects in view,the invention consists intheconstruction, arrangement and combination ofthe various'parts-of'thedevice whereby the objects contemplatedereattained, ashereinaftersetforth, pointed Vout in the appended claims andillustrated-inthe-accompanying drawings.

In thedrawings:

`liigure 1 is a plan view partially in section of another modied form ofthe device.

Figure 2 is an exploded elevational sectional View taken on the line2--2 of Figure-lshowing the relationship of therparts.

Figure 3 is an elevational viewpartiallyinsection taken onthe line3-3'of Figure 1 showing the parts in closed or sealing position.

Figure 4'is a view similar to VvFigure 3 showingl the parts separated asin releasing position.

YFor the purpose of illustrating the invention the closure is describedherein in a form applicable to bottles in which carbonated beveragesare. stored having in mind that a closurecapable of successful operationunder such circumstances wherein a high degree of sealing eciency isrequisitecan be depended upon as a successfulseal or closure under othercircumstances as well where the sealing requirements are less rigid. Theselection of a bottle closureby way of illustration further takes intoconsideration Ythe fact that a closure which can-be successfullybuilt'ina size small enough to be accommodated to the neck of a bottleofthe type customarilyused for soft drinks can even more readily bebuiltfor containers lhaving openings of substantially larger. sizes.

Byway of illustrationtherefore anlembodiment chosen to illustrate fthevinvention there ,is

Is hown the neckof a bottle whaving aconventional upper end Il lat theouter vextremityof which is-a bead l2 `provided with a recess I3therebeneath. An opening .|.4 havingarimatgits.

`In la `form of the invention chosen for thepur- .v lpose of'illustration `there is yshown mountedA upon.

the bottle 10, "having the lcustomary bead 'i2 at the rim of the upperend l I, a releasable closure comprising a cap 50 which is held in placeupon the bottle by utilization of a generally ringshaped fasteningelement In this case the fastening element and the cap are permanentlysecured together at one point only by use of a movable connection orloose tie 52 by which one part is pivotally connected to the other.

In this form the cap 50 may be constructed for use with a rotatingfastening means in that the cap has a nat top 53, a sealing disk 54 tomake the closure air-tight where the cap is pressed against the top ofthe bead, and an annular continuously rounded flange at the lower edgeof which are spaced fingers 55 having slots therebetween. The fingershave depressions 56 adjacent the lower portions thereof. As previouslydescribed the depressions are adapted to underlie the bead I2 thereby toassist in holding the cap in place.

In order to effectively secure the cap upon the bead with such force asto confine the contents even when a gas pressure of 90 to 100 pounds maypossibly be present, the fastening element 5I is applied to the cap andparticularly the fingers 55 in the position shown in Figure 3. To buildinto the closure the desirable function of being capable of release bymanual pressure the fastening element is herein shown as one generallyannular in form except for a space 5l which may be in the neighborhoodof Li5 degrees, thereby leaving substantially a B-degree portion of thefastening element in a position encircling the anges. As illustrated inFigure 3 the side wall of the fastening means is substantiallycylindrical.

To hold the parts together, namely, the fastening element and the cap,there is provided in this instance a rivet 58 securely fastened upon oneflange 59 of the cap which has a straightened portion adapted to receivethe rivet head. As here shown the shank of the rivet is adapted toextend through an aperture 5S in the wall of the fastening element whichis very much greater in diameter than the shank of the rivet butslightly smaller in diameter than an external head Si of the rivet. Thepurpose of this connection is primarily to hold the cap and fasteningelement together so that they cannot inadvertently become separated andtherefore may be considered as a single piece. The connection furtherserves as a fulcrum for lever action between the fastening elementandthe cap.

To assist the user in lifting and thereby releasing the fasteningelement El there is provided a laterally projecting extension S2 on theside of the fastening element opposite from the rivet which is designedto stick out far enough so that the thumb or nger of the user can beapplied to the underside. The fastening element 5| as a Whole isdesigned to be made of stiff material slightly resilient to the extentthat it exerts considerable stress upon the iingers 55 and thus isadapted to hold them tightly against the bead to effectively seal thecap upon the bottle.

When the closure is applied to the bottle in sealing position the partswill assume the relative locations illustrated in Figure 3. This may bedone by machine if preferred and in the ordinary course of commercialuse machine application of the closure to the bottle Would be customary.When the closure is initially applied the fastening element is pressedtightly around the flanges and the cap pressed down against the bead sothat an air-tight seal is made at the bottle opening.

When it is desired to remove the closure, finser pressure may be appliedat the point 63 whereby to lift the fastening element upwardly to theposition shown in Figure 4. During this releasing operation the rivet 58acts as a fulcrum for the end of the fastening element opposite from theprojection 62. It will be clear from an examination of Figure 4 thateven in extreme position the rivet holds the fastening element to thecap but nevertheless permits the fastening element to be tilted relativeto the cap to a position such that the Wall of the cap is entirely freefrom pressure against the fingers 55. After the fastening element hasbeen lifted, the cap can be readily pulled from its position on top ofthe bottle either by pressing against the rivet 58, by pulling upon thecap at the area of the rivet or merely by prying under any one of thefingers 55.

In capping a container by use of the closure herein described thefastening element may be set with respect to the fingers 55 in therelationship shown in Figure 4. The closure may then be placed upon theneck of the bottle in engagement with the bead l2 thereon as shown inFigure 4 by operation of a substantially conventional capping machine ofthe type well known in the trade which may be employed to force thefastening element into position. By use of such a machine highlycarbonated contents, for example, can be successfully and rapidly sealedby the enicient application of the cap in a manner already provedsuccessful.

By use of the closure defined, constructed so as to be accommodated tocontainers of conventional construction, there need be no substantialdeparture from presently acceptable commercial mechanisms for thefilling and capping of containers. Further, because of the compactnessin size of the closure, such cartons, cases or other means as arecustomarily used for the transportation of the containers may beemployed withou change.

Because of the fact that rotation of the fastening element relative tothe cap does in no way distort or damage any portion of the closure, theclosure is reusable. As such the closure can operate as a temporaryrecapper by application of the closure to the container with thefastening element pressed into place manually so that the fingers arepressed into position beneath the bead. Reclosing in this manner issufficient for ordinary needs even though the fastening element may notbe moved all the way into its former position overlying the fingers. Forutilization of the closure in a mechanical recapping operation the disc54 may be replaced if need be, the fastening element reset above thefingers inthe position initially described, and the closure againapplied to the container by the conventional capping means in the mannerinitially related.

As will be noted from the foregoing description the closure is so formedthat the parts are interconnected in order that the closure acts as asingle unit with the parts incapable of separation one part fromanother. In mass production the parts, simple in form and construction,can be made and assembled relatively inexpensively and once formed arecapable of reuse innumerable times with an equal degree of sealingsuccess sufficient to far offset any slight additional initial cost dueto there being a number of parts in excess of those used on conventionalcaps and closures heretofore adapted to the same general.

purpose. Because of the fact that thewclosure is so designed that it canbe released by manual pressure, not only is there the convenience ofhaving the closure capable of use under all circumstances without theoperation of auxiliary tools or appliances but also, because of the factthat manual pressure only is required to effect a release, thelikelihood of damage to the closure is minimized to the extent thatreuse over and over again is substantially assured.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I haveconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of myinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claim so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

A closure for a bottle having a neck providing an opening, a rim aroundthe opening and a bead below the rim having a lower inwardly taperedsurface, said closure comprising a sealing cap having an unobstructedinterior surface adapted to fit over the rim and seal the opening, adepending annular continuous rounded ange at the perimeter of the cap,said ange having slots at the free edge to provide a series of spacedfingers of substantially equal length and uniform thickness extendingthroughout the circumference of the iiange and normally divergingdownwardly, said fingers having each a convexly formed portion on itsinside face initially diverging out of contact with the tapered surfaceof the bead, said convexly formed portion having a shape adapted toconform to the tapered surface of the bead, a relatively flat sealingdisk on the inside Surface of the cap and conned within said flange,said disk being adapted to engage only the rim of the bottle, and meansfor pressing the fingers on all sides of the cap into position againstthe tapered surface of the bead comprising a fastening ring having awidth sufficient to overlie said flange and fingers, said ring having apivotal connection with one of the fingers at its convexly formedportion, said ring having an upwardly tilted position before sealing andadapted to be tilted downwardly to engage and force the diverging ngersinto sealing position over the bead with the convexly formed portions ofthe ngers on all sides of the cap forced slidably against said taperedsurface whereby the sealing disk is compressed against the rim or" thebead, said fastening ring having a lateral projection adapted to bemanually lifted whereby the ring may be tilted upwardly about itspivotal connection to release the fingers for movement away from thetapered surface of the bead to permit removal of the cap.

WILLIAM SATZ.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date '796,734 Kirkegaard Aug. 8, 1905 848,174 Jebsen Mar. 26, 19071,021,488 Reutter Mar. 26, 1912 1,123,670 Bohleber Jan. 5, 19151,545,227 Baltzley July '7, 1925 1,713,676 Rose May 21, 1929 2,045,480Magnesen et al. June 23, 1936 2,392,507 Sebell Jan. 8, 1946 2,398,554Nyden Apr. 16, 1946 2,444,779 Krasberg July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 1,641 Great Britain Feb. 2, 1887 of 1887 709,751France May 20, 1931 446,612 Great Britain May 4, 1936

